Blowout win should help Herd put rivalry game in the past

HUNTINGTON, W.Va.  By the time fans began to file out of Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Saturday, the excitement of the Battle for the Bell had already started to fade. After all the buildup to the game, with Marshall aiming to avenge three consecutive losses to the Bobcats, the outcome was never in doubt.

Marshall built a 27-0 lead by the half and rang up 41 points before Ohio got on the scoreboard. By the time players met with the media following the win, they had already come down from the emotional high of winning the rivalry game.

“Win or lose, you have to put the game behind you,” said coach Doc Holliday during his weekly press conference.

The anti-climatic finish to Saturday’s contest should help players move on from last week’s highly anticipated match up. Games that come down to the last minute, win or lose, seem to stick with players longer than a blowout victory. The raw emotion of a game winning drive or a gut wrenching defeat can stick with you long after the game. Last Saturday, players had most of the fourth quarter to unwind and enjoy the win.

But when the team met on Sunday, Holliday made certain it was ready to focus on this week’s challenge, the Akron Zips.

“One thing I reminded them on Sunday was that Virginia Tech was feeling pretty good about themselves after the Ohio State game and they turned around and East Carolina came in there and beat them,” Holliday said. “Southern Cal, they were talking about winning the national championship and they go to BC and get beat the following week.”

Earlier in Holliday’s tenure, there may have been more apprehension about his team turning the page and refocusing on the next opponent, but the 2014 version of the Thundering Herd is a veteran-laden group that has experienced just about every situation imaginable over the last four years.

“If you don’t put those wins behind you and move on to the next one then you will get beat,” Holliday said. “I’ve met with the leadership committee and our kids need to understand that if we don’t go to work today and go to work tomorrow then we aren’t going to win on Saturday.”

Akron has all the classic makings of a “trap game.” The Zips are on the rebound led by proven winner Terry Bowden.

“We need to get better as a football team because Akron is a surely a good team,” Holliday said. “All wins are big. Anytime you go on the road and win, it’s huge. It’s huge because it’s the next game. It’s game No. 4. We have a bye week after this, but we have to put all of our focus and all of our effort into this week.”





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